The American company "Astrobotic" has announced the successful completion of tests for a promising rocket engine named "Chakram." This device belongs to the class of rotating detonation rocket engines (RDRE), in which the combustion wave rotates inside the chamber at supersonic speeds. 3dnews.ru reports on this.
The tests were conducted at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and became an important milestone for this technology. RDRE technology allows for a significant increase in the thrust-to-mass ratio compared to traditional liquid-propellant engines.
During the hot-fire tests, two prototypes operated for a total of 470 seconds, and a record result for this type of device—300 seconds of continuous combustion—was recorded. The engines generated more than 18 kN of thrust, and no damage to the construction was detected at the conclusion of the program.
The project's principal investigator, Bryant Avalos, noted that the engine performed better than expected, operating stably without critical deviations. "Astrobotic" noted that the achieved thrust and duration of operation are among the highest in the world.
The "Chakram" program was implemented in collaboration with NASA using 3D printing technologies. This method allowed for reducing costs and accelerating experiments.
The company specifically emphasized that success was achieved with a small team and a modest budget.
The new engines are planned to be installed on the "Griffin" landing module, which is expected to fly in late 2026. Additionally, this technology will be adapted for a line of reusable suborbital vehicles.
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